Reversing mechanism



A. M. eoonwm.

REVERSING- MECHANISM.

APPLICATION ,FILED AUG-9, 1920. 1,421,21 3. Patented June 27, 1922.

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O INV'ENTOR adammzf UNHEQ 'iATES arssr @FFEQE.

ADAM: M. GOODWIN,"OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

REVEBSING llI-ECHANISML T 0 all to 710m it may cancer-n Be it known that LADAM M. GoonwrN,

a citizen of the United States, and resident of l Vilk-insburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, .have invented a new and useful-Improvement in a Reversing Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a-reversing mechanism.

For clothes washing machines and the like it. is highly-desirable that the drum of.

the machine be-rotatedand that the direcafterra single. revolution, or after a predetermined number of revolutions in the same direction.

It is also desirable that the reversing, mechanism'be compact in order ,to economize in the quantity of grease required forlubri- CZIlIlOIL; that the parts be such as to minimize likelihood of breakage; and thatthe power. transmitting means be smooth in operation and simple to manufacture.

An object .of the invention is,.,therefore,.

gears, and economy due to the elimination of the? more expensivebevel gears.

In the accompanying 'drawingsFigurel is a side elevation of the'reversing mecha nism with a portion of its containing housing.

removed; Figure 2;is a plan view of the mechanism with a portion of the housing re- 7 moved-,Figurefiis a cross section through the mechanism on the line 3+3 Figure 52; Figure dis a cross section through a modified form-of-the Fdevice; andFigure 5 isa vertical section taken on theline 5.5.'of Figure 1.

The reversing mechanism of the present inventioni'is preferably contained .in a suitable casing 1, which may be-filled with grease to lubricate themoving parts of the IIlGClIth nism; The mechanismillustrated in F igures 1, 2 and 3, of thadrawingscomprises a-shaft.

2, mounted :in a bearing-3 in the casing and carrying an sheave. 4 ion connection: Wltl l' -a Specification of Letters Patent. Pate'ntd June 2 Application filed August 9,1920. SeriaLNo. 402372;?

suitable source of motivepower. Shaft 2 carries a pinion 5, which meshes with a gear a 6 keyed or splined on the cross shaft 7 mount:

ed in bearings 8 in the casing.

Rotatably mounted on shaft 71s a bracket 9: .of oblate Ueshape :in longitudinal section;; a

which carries pinions-lOand 11 on theshort shafts-i12 and 13, these-pinions meshingwith a gear -l t' normally-free onthe shaft].

Keyed or splined-on the shaft/7, and arranged to cooperate with :the gear 1 1, is a clutch 15,v operable by means. of thethrow:

I ting lever 16. tlon of rotation be automatically reversed 1 When the device is connected with a source of power, and clutch 15is in engagingposiwwtion, gear let is rotated to rotate. the 10 and 11.

gagement with gearlet to rotate the gear uniformly in one direction.

I A power shaft 17. is mounted in bearings; 18 in the'casing. 1, and has keyed or splined thereto a gear 19. Means are provided for.

pinions It is to be understood ,that throughout the entire operation lof the W mechanism the clutch is maintained .in encausing the geanlt by its uniform rotation to cause alternate reversed revolutionscf the power shaft 17 Such means comprise. a pinion QOonshaftQw 21 in the bracket-9 and meshing with the pinion 10 so that pinion QOand 131111011111: are.

caused to rotateinopposite directions and 5 means for causing the pinions 20 and 1-1 to alternatelyfmesh-with the gear l9to causereversed single revolutions of the gears-19.

Bracket '9 is free on-shafts? so, that arotate ing movement in either direction may be imparted "to' it; For causingfsuch movement,

the gear;l9 carries one face thereof a pin: 22

into the path of which .projectsanose 23ion the bracket 9." A second nosez2t on the r 1 bracket engagespineitherone of the pockets a or b in a spring memberi25,i for holding.

the bracketinposition to engage either the pinion 'll'eor pinion 20- withgear; l9.v The spring member25 is illustrated as':f 0rmed of-= i astrip.ofmesilientmetaLand the edges of; the pockets a and b aresotroundedathat the nose 24 may be readily forcediinto or.- .out of either. one thereof under adirectgimpulse -i-m.=

parted to, the bracket. Y

Assuming that thegear l t is engagedaby ;clutch15-and is being rotated uniformly in; clockwise-direction, and that Jbracket 9-,-is. in position for the nose at to-engage;-;in -'.pocket miof -spring,;member 25;- pinion 20, -.rotat.ed-;ina clockwise, directionJoy the pin; if

ion 10, will cause a single counter-clockwise revolution of gear 17 until the pin 22 strikes the under side of nose 23 on the bracket. This impact causes a rotational movement of bracket 9, causing withdrawal of nose 24 from the pocket on of spring member 25 and causing it to enter the pocket 5 therein. In this position, pinion 20 is thrown out of mesh with gear 19, while pinion 11, rotating in a counter-clockwise direction, is thrown into mesh with gear 19 to impart thereto rotation in a clockwise direction. After a single revolution, the pin 22 strikes the upper side of nose 23, rotating bracket 9 and forcing its nose 2 1 out of pocket 5 and into the pocket a. In this position pinion 21 is caused to again mesh with gear 19 to rotate the gear in a counter-clockwise direction.

The modified form of the device illustrated in Figures 1 and 5 of the drawings, is so designed as to produce a reversal of the direction of rotation of the power shaft of the device after a predetermined number of revolutions in either direction.

This form of the device comprises a casing 26, shaft 27 driving sheave 28, pinion 29, shaft 30, and gear 31 on said shaft, generally similar to corresponding elements of the form of the device described above. The bracket 32 is similarly free on the cross shaft 30, and is provided with a relatively stiff helical spring 33 secured to bracket 32 and to the casing 26. y

J ournaled in casing 26 is the power shaft 34:, on which is rigidly mounted a gear 35. Rotatably mounted in bracket 32 are the pinions 36 and 37 meshing with the gear 31. Also rotatably mounted in the bracket 32 is a pinion 38 meshing with pinion 36. In different positions ofthe bracket, pinions 37 and 38 are respectively brought into mesh with the gear 35 for revolving the power shaft34c.

The means for alternately throwing pinions 37 and 38 into mesh with gear 35' com prise a pin 39 on the back of bracket 32, a pin 10 on a face of gear 35, and a segmental pinion 41 having thereon teeth arranged to project into the path of movement of pin 40 and to contact with pin 39. The seg mental pinion 4:1 is likewise rotatably mounted on bracket 32, and is provided with a" number of teeth corresponding to the number ofrevolutions which itis desired to impart to power shaft 34 between reversals of its direction of rotation.

Assuming that gear 31 is rotating uniformly in a counter-clockwise direction, the pinion 36 will be rotated in a clockwise direction, and the pinion 38, meshing with gear 35, will be rotated in a counterclockwisedirection. The pinion 37 will be "rotating idly in a clockwise direction. This action continues until the gear 35 has made a" sufiicient number of revolutions 35 is rotated in a counterclockwise instead of a clockwise direction.

With the parts in this position, the pinion 41 is rotated back tooth by tooth until the other end tooth d comes into contact with pin 39, causing another reversal in the direction of rotation of gear 35 and shaft 34.

Obviously by varying the number of teeth on the segmental pinion 41, the number of revolutions between reversals may be varied up to the limit set by the available space on the toothed segment of the pinion.

The device of the present invention is particularly adapted for use in producing the desirable reversals in the direction of rotation of the drum of a washing machine, because of its compact and economical structure. It also presents advantages for this and other uses in the utilization of spur gears only, and inthe fact that such gears operate directly in causing reversals inthe direction of rotation without the use of clutch or similar mechanism.

As the device is susceptible of a number of modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention, only those limitations contained in the appended claims are to be imposed upon the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. Reversing mechanism comprising a driving shaft, a gear on said shaft, a movable bracket, a pair of driving pinions on said bracket and actuated in mutually opposite directions by said driving gear, a driven shaft, a gear thereon, and means on said driven, gear arranged to contact with and shift said bracket for alternately engaging each of said pinions withsaid driven gear.

2. Reversing mechanism comprising a movable bracket, a pair of driving pinions on said bracket, a driving shaft, means on said driving shaft for rotating said pinions in mutually opposite directions, a driven shaft, and means on said driven shaft for causing said pinions to alternately impart motion thereto.

3. Reversing mechanism comprising a movable bracket, a pair of driving pinions on said bracket, means on said driving shaft for rotating said pinions in mutually opposite directions, a driven shaft, a gear on said driven shaft, and means on said gear for bringing the pinions on said bracket alternately into mesh with said driven gear to impart motion in reversed directions to said driven shaft.

4. Reversing mechanism comprising a driving shaft, a gear on said shaft, a movable bracket, a pair of driving pinions on said bracket and actuated in mutually opposite directions by said driving gear, a driven shaft, a gear thereon, means on said driven gear arranged to contact with and shift said bracket for alternately engaging each of said pinions with said driven shaft, and resilient means arranged to hold said bracket stationary between positive actuations thereof.

5. Reversing mechanism comprising a movable bracket, a pair of driving pinions on said bracket, a driving shaft, means on said driving shaft for rotating said pinions in mutually opposite directions, a driven shaft, means on said driven shaft for shifting said bracket and causing said pinions to alternately impart motion thereto, and resili ent means arranged to hold said bracket stationary between positive actuations thereof.

6. Reversing mechanism comprising, a driving shaft, a movable bracket, a pair of driving pinions on said bracket, means on said driving shaft for rotating said pinions in opposite directions, a driven shaft, a gear on said driven shaft, means on said gear for bringing the pinions on said bracket alternately into mesh with said driven gear to impart motion in reversed directions to said gear thereon,

driven shaft, and resilient means arranged to hold said bracket stationary between positive actuations thereof.

7. Reversing mechanism comprising a driving shaft, a gear on said shaft, a mov able bracket, a pair of driving pinions on said bracket and rotated in opposite directions by said driving gear, a driven shaft, a a protuberance on said bracket, and a member on said driven gear arranged to contact with said protuberance and shift said bracket for bringing the pinions on the bracket alternately into mesh with the driven gear.

8. Reversing mechanism comprising a driving shaft, a gear on said shaft, a movable bracket, a pair of driving pinions on said bracket and rotated in opposite directions by said driving gear, a driven shaft, a gear thereon, a protuberance on said bracket, a member on said driven gear arrangedto contact with said protuberance and shift said bracket for bringing the pinions on the bracket alternately into mesh with the driven gear, and resilient means arranged to hold said bracket stationary between positive actuations thereof.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand.

ADAM M. GOODVVIN. 

